the pain in this organ stops…”.
About “swallowing qi”: “… The method of swallowing qi… one receives nourishment from seeds, the other drinks saliva from a jade lake, or [uses] the methods of tun (exhale old, inhale new) - daoyin - anqiao, or close all passages. As a rule, qi is accumulated with the help of the form (body), and the form is filled with qi. If qi and form are in harmony, then the nature is durable ... ".
Among the writings of this period specifically devoted to "cultivating life" are Zhao Zihua's "Notes on Nursing [Health] for the Four Seasons" ("Si shi and yang lu") and "A New Book on Life Extension and Support in Old Age" ("Show tribute yang lao xin shu") by Chen Zhen. Also, Su Dongpo [K] summarized the previous experience of qigong practice, added his personal experience to it, and on this basis wrote a special essay, which was subsequently included in the book “Mr. Su's Best Recipes” (“Su chen liang fang”).
Lu Yu [K] wrote a poem with a close description of the details: “The heart is like in a whirlpool, calmness - not a breeze. While I am sitting, I have already taken several thousand breaths and exhalations. The night was half past, and suddenly an amazing thing happened. I saw the sun rise above the mighty ramparts.
The poem shows the specific sensations of a person who has plunged into a state of rest.
Zhang Andao in his essay “Secrets of Yangsheng” (“Yangsheng Jue”) writes: “Every night after the third watch (from oneone p.m. to one a.m.) you should throw on your clothes, turn your face to the east or south, sit down with your legs tucked into a ball, 36 times knock your teeth against each other, squeeze them tightly, stop breathing, internally focus on the five dense organs ... wait for the moment when the stomach is filled with qi; by the time the breathing is regulated, press the tongue on the lips and teeth, wash them inside and out… when the saliva fills the mouth, one should bow the head and swallow [saliva], thus qi will enter the dan tian…”. Here is a detailed description of the methodology of exercises, which has retained a certain scientific value to this day.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, an unknown work also appeared. author of "Eight pieces of brocade" ("Ba duan jin") - a relatively early work, specifically dedicated to yangsheng and daoyin. It is also claimed that tai chiquan was formed on the basis of generalizing works of the period of the Northern Song Dynasty.
During the Jin-Yuan period, Liu Wansu [K] in his essay “Simple Questions. Secret Truths about the Origin of Various Diseases” (“Su wen. Xuan ji yuan bing shi”) proposed the “six-word spell” for use and specifically discussed ways to maintain life. Zhang Zihe, in his book “Caring for Relatives in Service Homes” (“Zhu Men Shi Qin”), outlined the method of blowing qi to treat external injuries: “Think to yourself about the east side, when the sun rises, start receiving qi [by mouth], and then blow on the sore spot.
Li Gao [K] in the essay “Secrets kept in the orchid chambers” [K] (“Lan shi mi tsang”) in the section “On disorders from overwork” (“Lao juan so shang lun”) writes: “... If the mood is uneven, daily life has no routine, there are disorders from overwork, then all this damages qi, the weakening of qi leads to the flowering of the [element] of fire, and the flowering of the [element] of fire multiplies the [element] of the earth of the spleen ... [appears] relaxation in speech and movements, shortness of breath, superficial fever, sweating, irritability. During illness, it is necessary to calm the heart and sit quietly to feed; also use sweet and cold to dampen the fire; use sour to collect scattered qi; use sweets to tonify qi.” This passage explains not only that overwork can bring the spleen to illness, but also how in times of suffering one can be cured by "quieting the heart and sitting quietly." This is a method of complex application of qigong and medicines.
Zhu Danxi [K] in his essay “An Untold Discourse on Comprehension of the Nature of Things” (“Ge Zhi Yu Lun”) explores the following issues: “numbness, blockage, cold caused by qi stagnation are treated with the help of daoyin”; "By prescribing to follow the four seasons, by regulating the breath and state of mind, the basis of disease can be cured." In this way, he explains the application of "regulating breathing and mental state" exercises, as well as ways to "cultivate" the correct (healthy) qi (zheng qi) to treat the basis of diseases, gives a correct interpretation of the role of qigong in treatment of ailments.

9. WHAT RECORDS ABOUT QIGONG ARE IN THE MONUMENTS OF THE MING AND QING PERIOD

In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Chunfu compiled the "Encyclopedia of Ancient Medicine Methods" ("Gu fa and tong da quan"), in which he summarized some of the experience of doctors of former times in the practice of qigong. He also proved that since the Song Yuan era, the technique of "cultivating life" has been studied as one of the one3 recognized scientific disciplines.
Li Shizhen [K] in his essay "Investigation of the Eight Wonderful Channels" ("Cijing ba mai kao") wrote: "Only one who [repeatedly] returns to observations can clearly reflect the hidden paths in the interior." He pointed out the close relationship between qigong practice and the theory of channels and collaterals.
Cao Yuanbo in the book "Secrets of Preservation of Life" ("Yang Sheng Bi Yao") presented four6 types of movements of the healing daoyin. He paid special attention to the simultaneous execution of movement and being at rest, concretized the qigong methods given in Mr. Chao's book on the origin of diseases.
Chen Jirhu, in his essay "The Superficial Conversation on the Cultivation of Life" ("Yangsheng Fu Yu"), argued that jing, qi and shen are the main products and the main medicine for the body. The main recipes for longevity are “preserve jing”, “enrich qi”, “cultivate shen”. He expressed the point of view that in the practice of qigong, empty and full, cold and hot are distinguished. In accordance with the experience of treatment, he concluded: “The root of the treatment of diseases is in the way of movement. Diseases of emptiness require special binding, strengthening of the will; the influence concentrated inside is used for filling. Fullness diseases require massage and daoyin, you need to inhale strongly and fixation; the outward impact is used for dissipation. All illnesses with heat require the exhalation of the old and the inhalation of the new, so that it enters through the mouth and exits through the nose, which contributes to cooling; cold diseases require the preservation of qi and retention of breath in order to create fire with the consciousness, which contributes to warming. With these four methods, a cure can be achieved in the shortest way, leaving far behind the treatment with medicines obtained from herbs, trees, metals and minerals.
Zheng Jingyue [K] in the treatise “The Canon of Categories” (“Lei Ching”) wrote: “Someone who seeks to master life must clearly regulate qi…”, thereby unequivocally proclaiming the connection between “cultivating life” and regulating qi.
Fu Renyu's "Precious Letter on Close Observations" ("Shen shi yao han") is the earliest record of cataract treatment by qigong methods using the "six-word incantation"; it has retained its scientific significance up to the present day.
Wang Kentang [K] in the essay “Precisely defined symptoms and treatment” (“Zhun sheng zheng tai”) in the section “About the diseases of blindness” (“Lun qing man zheng”) said: “If someone keeps true qi, following the Void, keeps primordial qi, strictly adhering to the One, then usually, although not treated, the disease passes. He also pointed out that exercises can cure diseases of vision loss.
A certain skill in the practice of static, seated forms of qigong was possessed by Wang Yangming [K], the author of the book “Notes on Teaching” (“Chuan Xi Lu”), who taught this practice to his students.
At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Wang Ren'an appended to his work "Collection of medical prescriptions with explanations" ("Yi fan ji jie") the chapter "Treatment without drugs" ("Wu yao yuan quan"), in which he brought together some types of exercises developed by teachers- predecessors. Among other things, it contains the following entry: “The method of breathing regulation is not limited in time; you should sit down freely, align the body so as not to lean or bend, unfasten clothes and loosen the belt; achieve coherence in actions, rotate the tongue several times in the mouth; exhale dirty qi little by little; also inhale little by little through the nose, repeat either three to five times, or one or two times; to swallow the available saliva; hit each other with teeth several times; both eyes are closed, as if covered with a haze. Gradually breathing is regulated, being neither frequent nor abrupt; so exhale several times and inhale several times, from one to one0, from one0 to one00, consciously control the count and avoid failure.
In the opening chapter of Mr. Chen's Book of Honoring Life (Chen shi zun sheng shu), Chen Jinao's opening chapter describes general movement techniques, with particular emphasis on qi exercise. There are one2 movements in total. For example, “if someone does not have even a small drop of speed in his body, then he needs to move swiftly; if you avoid [quickness] for a long time, then stagnation, accumulating, turns into a big disease”; “during the movement, one must [disengage] from the surrounding people and from oneself, apply calm